Sustainability

Balance or run bikes are a popular tool to help children learn balance and steering before transitioning to pedaled bikes. GreenChampBikes has developed a bamboo balance bike that is aimed at not only teaching children the skills they need to get rolling on two wheels, but also educate them on sustainability and the environment at the same time. Read More

When building a new home that features a degree of sustainable design, the sky's the limit – providing that the budget is unconstrained too. Things get tricky when there's less money to throw around, but E348 Arquitectura displayed imagination while constructing the passively-cooled Portugal-based Miramar House using local building methods and inexpensive materials. Read More

BMW Group DesignworksUSA has designed a solar carport to house its new i3 and forthcoming i8 electric vehicles. BMW is revealing the one-car solar garage concept as part of the official media launch of the i8 in Los Angeles. Read More

The American Institute of Architects has revealed its 2014 selection of top ten green buildings in the US. As was the case with last year’s list, the judges came up with an interesting list of buildings that includes some lesser-publicized green-building projects, such as a homeless shelter, a treehouse, and even a Net-Zero energy courthouse. Read on as Gizmag takes a look at each of the selections. Read More

The Nannup Holiday House, by Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects, strikes a careful balance between allowing its owners to get in touch with nature, while preventing nature from taking over completely. Raised on stilts to help avoid hazards which include local wild pigs, venomous snakes, and floods, the home also features sustainable technology such as solar panels and grey water recycling. Read More

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has revealed what its judges reckon to be the 10 best new American homes and housing complexes, for the organization's 2014 Housing Awards. Though not explicitly marketed as a list of green housing, almost all of the winners feature some degree of sustainable technology or design. Read More

With homes and light-vehicles accounting for roughly 44 percent of total greenhouse gases emitted in the US, neutralizing these emissions would certainly go a long way towards a clean energy future. What if these sources of pollution could not only be nullified, but play an active role in reducing our environmental footprint? Such is the thinking behind the Honda Smart Home US unveiled last week, which generates enough solar energy to power both car and home, with a little left over to feed back into the grid. Read More

Forget the "Shard," the "Walkie Talkie" and the "Cheese Grater," the real revolution in UK buildings is in timber construction, which saves on build time, carbon emissions and boasts energy efficiency. One new apartment block in Chelsea is calculated to use the same energy as a Smart car. Read More

Well, it could theoretically be heated by a hairdryer, at least. While that attention-grabbing headline needn't be taken too literally (it appears to refer to the equivalent energy required for heating), in Park Passive House, NK Architects has produced an energy-efficient and attractive modern family home. It also happens to be Seattle's first certified Passive House, and so will hopefully provide inspiration for more similarly efficient homes to be built in its wake. Read More